Man arrested in Hove as part of people-smuggling investigation

A group is alleged to have taken migrants to the UK in small boats from Belgium

Author: Ryan BurrowsPublished 1st Mar 2023

A man from Albania has been arrested as part of investigations into a group alleged to have smuggled migrants to the UK in boats from Belgium.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said the 51-year-old was detained on Tuesday (February 28th) for his suspected role in assisting unlawful immigration.

Two Albanian nationals, aged 44 and 48, in Nottingham and a 46-year-old Irish man in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, were arrested by NCA officers.

Investigators allege they have been involved in acquiring a rigid hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) and using it to travel to Belgium to collect migrants, landing at Margate in Kent.

The men are all alleged to be part of a gang organising a series of people smuggling runs to the UK from Europe, including a number of crossing events last year.

The operation is linked to two arrests in Belgium in October, where a man from Basingstoke and a man from Leicester were arrested on suspicion of people smuggling offences as they arrived on the coast near Nieuwpoort at 4.30am.

Twelve migrants, including a child, all believed to be Albanian nationals, were also taken into custody by the Belgian authorities.

NCA Branch Commander Colin Williams said:

“These arrests follow an extensive investigation into individuals who we believe were involved in a number of migrant crossings from Belgium to the Kent coast in 2022.

“Tackling people smuggling continues to be a priority for the NCA as we target and disrupt organised crime groups at every step of the route.”

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